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Crowds gathered on campus to celebrate the end of the lander's 422-million-mile journey to Mars.

By Ellen Moss, University Communications
May 25, 2008

Visitors to The University of Arizona campus erupted into applause today as Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists announced that the Phoenix Mars Lander had touched down on the Red Planet.

"This is a life-changing event for many of us on the mission," said Sanlyn Buxner, a student working on the mission.

"It's history in the making," said Lucky Salway, who was on campus with his son, daughter and nephew. "Its' crazy that something they made here is now on Mars."

About half an hour earlier, thousands of anxious spectators gathered around television monitors in Flandrau: The UA Science Center and the Kuiper and Sonett space sciences buildings, waiting to catch a glimpse of history.

More than 100 people sat facing a screen at Flandrau that was broadcasting NASA TV, which provided live coverage of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

"Entry, descent and landing is only a few minutes away," NASA TV reported. "Good luck to Phoenix and its team."

Moments later, Buxner tells the crowd that the Mars Odyssey orbiter has recieved a signal from Phoenix.

"This is the most exciting part," she said, as NASA scientists smiled on the screen. "We want those scientists to keep smiling."

More than an hour before public events celebrating the Phoenix Mars Lander's touchdown even began, hundreds of members of the Tucson community were gathered on The University of Arizona Mall.

Children rushed from exhibit to exhibit at Flandrau, families set up telescopes on the Mall and visitors of all ages waited in line outside the Kuiper Space Sciences Center to view displays about Mars.

"It's buzzing like a hive here," said Carla Bitter, education and public outreach manager for the mission. "I can't think of anything else that could stir up this kind of excitement."

Before a talk at Kuiper, visitors were lined up down the block to hear scientists from the UA Lunar and Plantery Laboratory discuss the mission. Planetarium shows at Flandrau about the mission quickly sold out – by 2:30 p.m.

In one demonstration at Kuiper, UA staff members made ice cream using nitrogen, an impressive feat for younger membes of the audience.

One of them was 8-year-old Michael Cox, who, between bites of ice cream, said he was on campus because "I wanted to see if the lander will land. I thought it would be fun." He also is considering a future career in the sciences. "It would be cool to invent stuff."

Bitter said that more than 60 people have volunteered to help with today's events, held in anticipation of the successful landing of the lander.

After landing, mission control for the mission is handed over to the UA, the first public university to lead a NASA mission to Mars. The Phoenix Mars Lander will spend three months exploring Martian soil and buried ice in the northern plains.

Several events kicked off at 3 p.m.,including live coverage of events taking place at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., children’s activities and presentations by UA scientists involved in the Phoenix and other Mars missions.

Many of the buildings presented displays of extraordinary space images generated by instruments developed by UA scientists. Flandrau opened its "Mars, Up Close and Personal" exhibit, which is a 26.5-foot by 9.5-foot representation of a portion of the Martian surface.

The UA Museum of Art also held a landing celebration, featuring an interactive gallery game that will guide visitors through NASA space artist Robert McCall’s exhibition, currently on view at the museum.